DAYTONA BEACH — Ryan Blaney was at the center of one of the biggest mishaps in the illustrious history of Daytona International Speedway.
On Saturday night, the rising NASCAR star avoided two late multi-car wrecks during the Coke Zero Sugar 400 to capture the final race of the regular season — and the 27-year-old’s second consecutive Cup Series victory.
Blaney took the checkered flag under caution as a mass of cars were left behind in a pile of smoke, sparks, spilled oil and twisted metal. Two laps earlier Blaney’s No. 12 Ford Mustang escaped a more perilous crash, slipping through an opening and into the clear.